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INFO 1500 Introduction to IT Fundamentals
LearningObjectives
1. Define IT infrastructure and describe its components.
4. Technical Foundations
2. Identify and describe the stages and technology drivers of IT infrastructure evolution.
3. Assess contemporary computer hardware platform trends.
4. Assess contemporary software platform trends.
Alexander Nikov
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BARTSpeedsUpwithaNewITInfrastructure
BARTSpeedsUpwithaNewITInfrastructure
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=bart
• Problem: Aging systems no longer able to provide information rapidly enough for timely decisions; too unreliable for 24/7 operations
• Solutions: Replaced and upgraded hardware and software and used leading‐edge technology
– Grid computing
– Virtualization – Blade servers HP BladeSystem (populated with 16 blades), with two 3U UPS units below.
• Demonstrates IT’s role in using resources more efficiently; reducing computing energy usage, modernizing services
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ITInfrastructure
Outline
1. IT Infrastructure
• Set of physical devices and software required to operate enterprise
2. Infrastructure Components
• Set of firmwide services including:
–
–
–
–
–
–
3. Contemporary Hardware Platform Trends
4. Contemporary Software Platform Trends
Computing platforms providing computing services
Telecommunications services
Data management services
Application software services
Physical facilities management services
IT management, standards, education, research and development services
• “Service platform” perspective more accurate view of value of investments
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Connection Between the Firm, IT
Infrastructure, and Business Capabilities
© Prentice Hall 2011
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Evolution of IT infrastructure
• General‐purpose mainframe & minicomputer era: 1959 to present
– 1958 IBM first mainframes introduced
– 1965 Less expensive DEC minicomputers introduced
• Personal computer era: 1981 to present
– 1981 Introduction of IBM PC
– Proliferation in 80s, 90s resulted in growth of personal software
• Client/server era: 1983 to present
– Desktop clients networked to servers, with processing work split between clients and servers
– Network may be two‐tiered or multitiered (N‐tiered)
– Various types of servers (network, application, Web)
FIGURE 5-1
The services a firm is capable of providing to its customers, suppliers, and employees are a
direct function of its IT infrastructure. Ideally, this infrastructure should support the firm’s
business and information systems strategy. New information technologies have a powerful
impact on business and IT strategies, as well as the services that can be provided to
customers.
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Stages in IT Infrastructure Evolution
Evolution of IT infrastructure (cont.)
Illustrated here are
the typical
computing
configurations
characterizing each
of the five eras of IT
infrastructure
evolution.
• Enterprise computing era: 1992 to present
– Move toward integrating disparate networks, applications using Internet standards and enterprise applications
• Cloud Computing: 2000 to present
– Refers to a model of computing where firms and individuals obtain computing power and software applications over the Internet or other network
– Fastest growing form of computing
FIGURE 5-2
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Stages in IT Infrastructure Evolution (Cont.)
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A Multitiered Client/Server Network (N-tier)
Illustrated here are
the typical computing
configurations
characterizing each of
the five eras of IT
infrastructure
evolution.
FIGURE 5-3
FIGURE 5-2
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In a multitiered client/server network, client requests for service are
handled by different levels of servers.
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Moore’s Law and Microprocessor Performance
Technology drivers of infrastructure evolution
Packing over 2
billion transistors
into a tiny
microprocessor
has exponentially
increased
processing
power.
Processing power
has increased to
over 500,000
MIPS (millions of
instructions per
second).
• Moore’s law and microprocessing power
– Computing power doubles every 18 months
– Nanotechnology: • Shrinks size of transistors to size comparable to size of a virus
• Law of Mass Digital Storage
– The amount of data being stored each year doubles
FIGURE 5-4
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FallingCostofChips
ExamplesofNanotubes
Packing more
transistors into
less space has
driven down
transistor cost
dramatically as
well as the cost
of the products in
which they are
used.
Nanotubes are tiny tubes
about 10,000 times thinner
than a human hair. They
consist of rolled up sheets of
carbon hexagons and have
potential uses as minuscule
wires or in ultrasmall
electronic devices and are
very powerful conductors of
electrical current.
FIGURE 5-5
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FIGURE 5-6
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TheCostofStoringDataDeclines
Exponentially1950–2010
Technology drivers of infrastructure evolution (cont.)
Since the first
magnetic storage
device was used in
1955, the cost of
storing a kilobyte of
data has fallen
exponentially,
doubling the
amount of digital
storage for each
dollar expended
every 15 months,
on average.
• Metcalfe’s Law and network economics
– Value or power of a network grows exponentially as a function of the number of network members
– As network members increase, more people want to use it (demand for network access increases)
FIGURE 5-7
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Exponential Declines in Internet
Communications Costs
Technology drivers of infrastructure evolution (cont.)
• Declining communication costs and the Internet
– An estimated 1.5 billion people worldwide have Internet access
– As communication costs fall toward a very small number and approach 0, utilization of communication and computing facilities explodes
FIGURE 5-8
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One reason for the growth in the Internet population is the rapid decline in Internet
connection and overall communication costs. The cost per kilobit of Internet access
has fallen exponentially since 1995. Digital subscriber line (DSL) and cable modems
now deliver a kilobit of communication for a retail price of around 2 cents.
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Some Important Standards in Computing
Technology drivers of infrastructure evolution (cont.)
• Standards and network effects
– Technology standards:
• Specifications that establish the compatibility of products and the ability to communicate in a network
• Unleash powerful economies of scale and result in price declines as manufacturers focus on the products built to a single standard
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IT Infrastructure has 7 main components
Outline
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
1. IT Infrastructure
2. Infrastructure Components
3. Contemporary Hardware Platform Trends
4. Contemporary Software Platform Trends
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Computer hardware platforms Operating system platforms
Enterprise software applications
Data management and storage
Networking/telecommunications platforms
Internet platforms
Consulting system integration services
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TheITInfrastructureEcosystem
Computer hardware platforms
There are seven
major components
that must be
coordinated to
provide the firm
with a coherent IT
infrastructure.
Listed here are
major
technologies and
suppliers for each
component.
• Client machines
– Desktop PCs, mobile devices – PDAs, laptops
• Servers – Blade servers: ultrathin computers stored in racks
• Mainframes:
– IBM mainframe equivalent to thousands of blade servers
• Top chip producers: AMD, Intel, IBM
• Top firms: IBM, HP, Dell, Sun Microsystems
FIGURE 5-9
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PC inside
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Operating system platforms
• Operating systems
– Server level: 75% run Windows; 25% run Unix or Linux
– Client level: • 90% run Microsoft Windows (7, XP, 2000, CE, etc.)
• Handheld device OS’s (Android, iPhone OS)
• Cloud computing OS’s (Google’s Chrome OS)
• Enterprise software applications
– Enterprise application providers: SAP and Oracle
– Middleware providers: BEA
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Data management and storage
Networking/telecommunications platforms
• Database software: • Telecommunication services
– Telecommunications, cable, telephone company charges for voice lines and Internet access
– AT&T, Verizon
– IBM (DB2), Oracle, Microsoft (SQL Server), Sybase (Adaptive Server Enterprise), MySQL
• Physical data storage: • Network operating systems:
– Windows Server, Novell, Linux, Unix
– EMC Corp (large‐scale systems), Seagate, Maxtor, Western Digital
• Storage area networks (SANs): • Network hardware providers: – Cisco, Alcatel‐Lucent, Nortel, Juniper Networks
– Connect multiple storage devices on dedicated network
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Consulting and system integration services
Internet platforms
• Even large firms do not have resources for a full range of support for new, complex infrastructure
• Hardware, software, management services to support company Web sites, (including Web hosting services) intranets, extranets
• Software integration: ensuring new infrastructure works with legacy systems
• Internet hardware server market: IBM, Dell, Sun (Oracle), HP
• Legacy systems: older TPS created for mainframes that would be too costly to replace or redesign
• Web development tools/suites: Microsoft (Visual Studio, Expression Studio, .NET) Oracle‐Sun (Java), Adobe, Real Networks
• Accenture, IBM Global Services, EDS, Infosys, Wipro
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The mobile digital platform
Outline
• Cell phones, smartphones (BlackBerry, iPhone)
1. IT Infrastructure
• Cell phones, smartphones (iPhone, Android, and
Blackberry)
2. Infrastructure Components
• Data transmission, Web surfing, e-mail, and IM duties
3. Contemporary Hardware Platform Trends
• Netbooks:
4. Contemporary Software Platform Trends
• Small lightweight notebooks optimized for wireless
communication and core tasks
• Tablets (iPad)
• Networked e-readers (Kindle and Nook)
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Grid computing and Virtualization
BYOD and Consumerization of IT
• Grid computing
• BYOD (Bring your own device)
– Allowing employees to use personal mobile devices in
workplace
– Connects geographically remote computers into a single network to combine processing power and create virtual supercomputer
– Provides cost savings, speed, agility
• Consumerization of IT
– New information technology emerges in consumer
markets first and spreads to business organizations
– Forces businesses and IT departments to rethink how
IT equipment and services are acquired and
managed
• Virtualization
– Allows single physical resource to act as multiple resources (i.e., run multiple instances of OS)
– Reduces hardware and power expenditures
– Facilitates hardware centralization
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Cloud computing
Cloud computing platform
In cloud computing, hardware and software capabilities are a pool of virtualized resources provided over a network, often the Internet. Businesses and employees have access to applications and IT infrastructure anywhere, at any time, and on any device.
• On‐demand (utility) computing services obtained over network – Infrastructure as a service
– Platform as a service
– Software as a service
• Cloud can be public or private
• Allows companies to minimize IT investments
Figure 5‐10
• Drawbacks: Concerns of security, reliability
• Hybrid cloud computing model
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Green computing, High performance, power‐
saving processors, Autonomic computing Outline
• Green computing
– Practices and technologies for manufacturing, using, disposing of computing and networking hardware
• High performance, power‐saving processors
1. IT Infrastructure
2. Infrastructure Components
3. Contemporary Hardware Platform Trends
– Multi‐core processors
4. Contemporary Software Platform Trends
• Autonomic computing
– Industry‐wide effort to develop systems that can configure, heal themselves when broken, and protect themselves from outside intruders
– Similar to self‐updating antivirus software; Apple and Microsoft both use automatic updates
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ContemporarySoftwarePlatformTrends
SoftwarefortheWeb
• Open‐source software: • Java: – Produced by community of programmers
– Free and modifiable by user
– Examples: Apache web server, Mozilla Firefox browser, OpenOffice
– Object‐oriented programming language
– Operating system, processor‐independent
• HTML/HTML5
– Web page description language
– Specifies how text, graphics are placed on Web page
– HTML5 is latest evolution
• Includes animation and video processing functionality previously provided by third party add‐ons such as Flash
• Linux
– Open‐source OS
– Used in mobile devices, local area networks, Web servers, high‐performance computing
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SOA: Service‐oriented architecture
Web Services
• Software components that exchange information using Web standards and languages
• Set of self‐contained services that communicate with each other to create a working software application
• XML: Extensible Markup Language
• Software developers reuse these services in other combinations to assemble other applications as needed
– More powerful and flexible than HTML
– Tagging allows computers to process data automatically
– Example: an “invoice service” to serve whole firm for calculating and sending printed invoices
• Dollar Rent A Car
– Uses Web services to link online booking system with Southwest Airlines’ Web site
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How Dollar Rent a Car Uses Web Services
Software outsourcing and cloud services
• Three external sources for software:
– Software packages and enterprise software
– Software outsourcing (domestic or offshore)
• Contracting outside firms to develop software
– Cloud-based software services
• Software as a service (SaaS)
• Accessed with Web browser over Internet
• Service Level Agreements (SLAs): formal
agreement with service providers
FIGURE 5-10
Dollar Rent A Car uses Web services to provide a standard intermediate layer of software to “talk”
to other companies’ information systems. Dollar Rent A Car can use this set of Web services to
link to other companies’ information systems without having to build a separate link to each firm’s
systems.
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ChangingSourcesofFirmSoftware
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Software outsourcing and cloud services (cont.)
In 2012, U.S. firms will
spend more than $279
billion on software. About
35 percent of that ($98
billion) will originate
outside the firm, either
from enterprise software
vendors selling firmwide
applications or individual
application service
providers leasing or
selling software modules.
Another 4 percent ($11
billion) will be provided by
SaaS vendors as an
online cloud-based
service.
• Mashups
– Combinations of two or more online applications, such as combining mapping software (Google Maps) with local content
• Apps
– Small pieces of software that run on the Internet, on your computer, or on your cell phone • iPhone, BlackBerry, Android
– Generally delivered over the Internet
FIGURE 5-12
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Video case: Salesforce.com SFA Automation on
the iPhone and iPod Touch
Video case: Salesforce.com SFA Automation on
the iPhone and iPod Touch
1. What are some examples of ‘disruptive’ products created by Apple? How
disruptive of a product is the iPhone and why?
2. Describe some of the unique ways Salesforce’s SFA application uses the
iPhone’s features, including at least one not mentioned above.
3. What other companies that you know of have open development
platforms?
4. What advantages does the SFA application have for sales people? If you
were a sales person, how would you use it?
5. Who benefits more from the partnership between the two companies,
Salesforce.com or Apple? Explain your answer.
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1. Whataresomeexamplesof‘disruptive’productscreatedby
Apple?HowdisruptiveofaproductistheiPhoneandwhy?
• Apple’s iPod and Music Store are ‘disruptive’ products that altered prior business models and shook up the industry. The iPhone is a highly disruptive technology because it combines the functionality of so many other devices into one streamlined smartphone. Its innovative user interface, Internet connectivity, 15+ hours of music and other data storage, App Store, and cell phone capability together make it a device with staying power.
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2.DescribesomeoftheuniquewaysSalesforce’s SFA
applicationusestheiPhone’sfeatures,includingatleastone
notmentionedabove.
• The Salesforce application integrates with the iPhone’s ability to locate other individuals using their phone on a map in real‐time, in case there’s a reason to meet with a person face‐to‐face to close a deal. Other features include sorting using different criteria within the iPhone’s default table display and the ability to connect to the Internet to download updates in real‐time.
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3.Whatothercompaniesthatyouknowofhaveopen
developmentplatforms?
4.WhatadvantagesdoestheSFAapplicationhaveforsales
people?Ifyouwereasalesperson,howwouldyouuseit?
• Facebook is a good example of a company that opened its platform to third‐party developers. Facebook applications have become one of the major attractions of Facebook, making the site even ‘stickier’ than before.
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5.Whobenefitsmorefromthepartnershipbetweenthetwo
companies,Salesforce.comorApple?Explainyouranswer.
• Both companies benefit a great deal from the partnership. Salesforce.com probably benefits more, because tapping into the market of iPhone users represents a large potential gain in sales of their CRM applications. For Apple, Salesforce is yet another company hoping to capitalize on the widespread use of the iPhone, and while the availability of Salesforce applications on iPhones might attract more iPhone buyers, it's not as critical for them.
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• Salespeople are often on the go, so applications that run on the mobile devices that are so useful to salespeople are an obvious benefit. Time that might normally be spent just waiting in transit can now be used productively.
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